Included in Filipino Family Values is the ‘ Pagpapahalaga sa Pamilya’ (Prioritizing Family). Truly, the family is the basic unit of society where every individual is being molded to become an adult. And as children develop from infants to teens and to adults they go through a series of developmental stages that are important to all aspects of their personhood including physical, intellectual, emotional and social. Within these stages of development, their parents are playing the most significant roles. However, with the high demand to survive a living, member/s of family are now very much open to work abroad thinking that this as a solution to seek for a job opportunity which can support not only to the family’s basic needs but most importantly to secure the education of their children.
Based on 2016 Survey of OFW the number of OFW who worked abroad anytime during the period of April – September 2016 is estimated 2.2. million. For the entire 2016, cash remittances reached the record of $26.9 billion up 5 from 25.69 billion in year 2015. The solid growth in remittance flows continuous to be a major driver of domestic demand – Guinigundo. But how about the circumstances and the family stages where these OFW’s are not present? How about the important roles parents do have for their children? Employment rate from 2016 to 2017 moved only in one digit from 93.3 to 93.4 . And there are only two probable reasons – inadequate skills and insufficient jobs. Thus, is it really the answer to encourage employment abroad? Or there is really a solution thru creating job and placing matched education to employment?